Theresa May has scorned calls for parliamentary vote on Brexit, despite a prominent Leave backer accusing her of “tyranny” October 10, 2016 Theresa May has ruled out a fresh parliamentary vote on the terms of Brexit, even as a Leave-backing MP compares Downing Street's approach to “EU tyranny”. Yesterday a cross-party band of MPs demanded that parliament be granted approval of the final nature of the UK's departure from the EU, and in particular any future participation [...]
The results are out: Here’s how your bank would do if 2008 repeated itself November 30, 2016 Royal Bank of Scotland has failed all of the Bank of England's stress test measures, the worst performer among the UK's major lenders. RBS will now have to draw up a new capital plan, and the Bank's prudential regulation authority (PRA) will monitor its progress. RBS finance chief Ewen Stevenson said: "We are committed to creating a stronger, [...]
Small housebuilders are struggling to find appropriate land to build on September 20, 2016 The biggest challenge for small and medium housebuilders in the UK is the lack of suitable land to build on, a survey has found. The report from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has revealed two thirds of medium sized developers can't find land to develop, making it impossible to build enough homes to meet [...]
Trumpism will clash with economic reality November 10, 2016 Yesterday marked the 27th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It also heralded the ascendancy to the world’s most powerful office of a man whose most famous campaign pledge is to construct a massive wall along the length of America’s southern border. “We’re going to build it,” declared Trump, “and Mexico’s going to [...]
Breaking news: Revenue woes are driving a wave of deals in the print media sector January 23, 2017 After the closure of the Independent, the failed launch of Trinity Mirror’s New Day newspaper and plummeting revenues across the industry, 2016 will likely be remembered as a messy year for the print media. Less than a month in, and with rows brewing over press regulation, part two of the Leveson Inquiry and fake news [...]
French ambassador says London’s financial crown is now fair game for Paris October 20, 2016 France might not be totally thrilled about Brexit but that's not going to stop Paris swooping in on London's financial crown, bankers were warned today. Speaking at a British Bankers' Association conference, her Excellency Sylvie Bermann, French ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, noted France "didn't want the UK to leave because we [...]
Construction demand stays strong for small to medium-sized firms in quarter following Brexit vote October 19, 2016 Consumer demand for building work stayed strong in the three months following the EU referendum, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The continuing skills shortage and growing cost of doing business are the greatest challenges to construction firms, rather than demand, the FMB’s survey of small and medium-sized companies found. The positive growth [...]
Le Col: Can this premium cycling brand designed by riders be the next Rapha? December 14, 2016 "I'm convinced that cycling isn't going to go away," says Yanto Barker, a retired British pro cyclist now whose ambitious apparel brand Le Col is currently looking to secure £1m worth of funding from investors via Crowdcube. Le Col is entering the home straight of its crowdfunding campaign with 23 days left for budding investors to join the 117 people who [...]
London must shake off its complacency over housing and infrastructure if it’s to thrive post-Brexit October 31, 2016 Rarely has a ranking of the world’s greatest cities been released in the past few years without London at its top, or very near it. PwC recently named the capital the world’s best city for opportunity, praising its economic clout, its attractiveness to foreign direct investment, its highly skilled workforce, and its status as a [...]
Nic London says government planning procedures are impeding small housebuilders November 24, 2016 Figures released earlier this month show that nearly 200,000 homes were added to the housing stock in 2015-16 – a good start to delivering the 1m homes the government has pledged this parliament. But more needs to be done if we’re going to continue to build enough houses for our burgeoning population, and we will [...]